One balmy 30° Wednesday in July, several thousand determined and excited fans descended on Upcote farm in Cheltenham to get the Beeros in and trade sweat in the mosh pits of 2000 trees. The midweek kick-off didn't deter the enthusiasm with a duo of stages supplying the soundtrack to tent pitching and friend reunions, The Word stage playing host to half the acts and The Forest providing much needed shelter for the other half. The nineteenth annual edition of the Cotswold alt-rock party returned for 2026 with almost identical weather as the previous year, which could only be described as, bloody hot.

On the 7th of May, London’s Scala played host to a hopeful high-voltage political rally filled with moshpits, and good vibes. This was the night Hyphen proved the doubters wrong by selling out the iconic Kings Cross venue, but the journey to that historic finale of his REBEL SCUM TOUR was paved with a super strong line-up of artists who had travelled from all corners of the country - and the globe in the case of MUDRAT. From the unapologetic "top vs bottom" rhetoric of MUDRAT to the joy of Genand the Degenerates and the hybrid one-of-a-kind sound of Native James, this was a manifesto set to a high standard.

Ever wished you could go back in time to see your favourite arena band in a smaller venue? A venue where you can crowd surf over the barrier and high five the singer, or hang out at the merch table after and buy a shirt from the drummer? Many of us will have had this daydream, the regrets for not getting out to the local venue when that- then- underground, and underappreciated act was in town.  Well the next, next big thing are out there now, lugging their own equipment, slinging their own merch, and at the end of a long, cold January, they were selling out The Phoenix in Exeter.